Come and join your tutor, Susan Ash as she guides you through the creative ways you can use dry needle felting to make a mini angel or santa. The skills you learn can be applied to most shapes. Having this workshop in October leaves you plenty of time to make more for Christmas!. Afternoon tea and all materials in a kit will be provided. Bookings with a deposit or payment essential, please phone 9331 8818 or email. All proceeds from this workshop will go to a charity nominated by the Tutor.

SPRING NEWS FOR ‘EWE’!

Greetings to all, springtime is such a gorgeous time of year and the mornings and evenings are still chilly enough to wear woolly garments. The Melanian Sheep Breeders did not have their usual Black Sheep Shop at 2017 Royal Show but their handspun, handknitted garments & items are on display for sale at the shop in Willagee. Texting gloves, beanies, jumpers, cardigans, socks and lots more, all terrific presents for Christmas as well. Luscious coloured fleece that was exhibted in Jim Horwood wool pavillion is now on the depot shelves. The large whole fleece can be split if required. [More may be available after shearing end of October.] Come and have a look.

If you are thinking of a new loom or spinning wheel as this year’s Christmas present, please order early. Delivery can be held till you are ready to collect. If orders for Ashford products are made by the first week of December, they will arrive in time; but Louet and Schacht need to be ordered by first week of November if you want them delivered in time for christmas.

SPECIAL week … tue 10th to 14th October for shop hours at Willagee. …. 1030am to 3pm tues 10th and wed 11th, ….. closed thu 12th & fri 13th … and normal hours saturday 14th Oct. White Lace merino and the Knatty Knitter will look after the shop for me whilst I am in New Zealand at an Ashford dealer retreat. My grateful thanks to both ladies for their help. See ‘ewe’ soon, The old Ewe

This festive season, visitors to our Harrison Street shop have been enjoying Christmas discounts on all Ashford equipment & tools. This 10% discount is also extended to all phone or mail orders received up until close of business on 22nd December. Please remember that from 21st December any equipment that is not in store and requires me to order from the factory will not be delivered until after 17th January.

On Saturday 17 December, the Bilby Spinners will meet at Point Walter, Honour Street, Bicton from mid morning until late afternoon. We will be in the shade underneath the large moreton bay fig trees at the north end of the foreshore, it’s a BYO chair, drinks, lunch, hat, equipment & fibre & bathers if you wish. Even though the weather bureau predicts a 31deg day, the cool sea breeze comes in early

We were delighted to have so many friends visit our Black Sheep Shop stall in the Jim Horwood Wool Pavillion at this year’s Perth Royal Show. The members of the Melanian Sheep Breeders Society of Aust. certainly appreciate your support. Thank you and a big thanks to all the volunteers who came to promote WA wool, spin, knit and weave. Shearing has finished and we have had our annual wool collection at Gingin , with some lovely fresh fleece coming into the Wool Depot at our Harrison Street premises

Our 2017 calender is filling up fast with events planned every month…… Sat. January 21 HWSD Guild spin at Matilda Bay, 3- 5 March .Bothwell International Highland Spin in, Thu.16 March Porongorups Spin In, 17-19 March Stirling Range Fibre Weekend, fri 21- Mon 24 April Bilby Retreat at New Norcia, Sat 22 April Balingup Small Farm Field Day. My first stall at Perth Craft Fair at Convention Centre Wed 24 to Sun 28 May [need volunteers here], Sun 4 June Fibre Festival at Toodyay, Sat 10 June HWSDG 60th Anniversary Spin In at Craft House, Menora. Please have your entries into Creative Craft Comp.at Perth Royal Show by 1st July. Sun 2 -8 July Fibres West 2017 is at Muresk, Sat. 19 August Toodyay Spin In & Sat 23- 30 September Perth Royal Show. November is busy with wool collections and possibly a trip to Albany.

WORKSHOPS…If you would like to learn how to spin, crochet or knit? Our friendly tutors in store Tuesdays & Thursdays, can help you get started on your spinning, crochet or knitting journey. [$25/hour] Keep checking our Workshop page for special workshops, we hope to organize something in February and July/August.

With our last holiday some 30 years ago, the Baltics beckons the old ewe and the old ram. We are off on a cruise on the Viking Star, and of course there will be time for visits to sheep farms and Textile Arts villages. We will be away from 21st June until 16th July. In our absence, the shop and our valued customers, will be looked after by White Lace Merino and the Knatty Knitter, although the hours from wednesday to friday will be restricted.

From June 21st to July 16th; our Harrison Street shop [ph: 9331 8818] will be open .. Tuesdays 1030am to 5pm; Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 1030am to 2.30pm Saturday 1030am to 1230pm. From July 19th, normal shop hours resume. The next Bilby Spinners gathering will be on July 16th.

Firstly may I say a big thank you to everyone who went to the Fibre Festival in Toodyay on the long weekend in June, Your support is greatly appreciated by the organising committee. Also to all the willing helpers on the Melanian Sheep Breeders stall, my grateful thanks. Sadly I could not be there. Unfortunately I was in the doorway when a strong wind caught my shops heavy back door, not only knocking me off my feet, but the door slammed shut on my hand. Yes 2 broken fingers and tendon damage, but I am a quick healer with physio treatment and lots of tlc & support from friends.

What a lovely Spin In day at Augusta on June 11th. Ellie drove my ute and we took the Melanian depot and Bilby Yarns to the spin in. Devon packed & unpacked the vehicle and Charmaine happily wrote up the sales. I did lots of chatting, it was lovely to catch up with old friends.

The Perth Royal Show creative craft schedules are very late being published this year but as soon as they are online, please do consider entering. 2016 is the Year of Wool.

It seems February has rushed by, where has that month gone ? It’s already mid March and I’ve started running to keep up :]
We have two very kind helpers, White Lace and Knatty Knitter, who have offered to look after the Bilby Shop [on restricted hours] from Wednesday 16th March until Wednesday 23rd March, whilst I am in the South West of WA.
I will be travelling, with Ellie Eaton, to Williams, Kojonup, Arthur River, Mt Barker, Porongorups, Stirling Ranges Craft weekend, Albany, Denmark, Busselton and then finally back to Perth. If you live in these areas and need an order of woolly goods, do not hesitate to ring and ask, I am happy to deliver along my journey.
The shop at Harrison Street will open normal hours on Tuesday 15th, then from the 16th-18th and 22nd-23rd the hours will be restrictd to 4 hours, (1030am to 2.30pm). On saturday the 19th March, the shop will be open from 1030 to 1230 and the old ram will be in the shop to help you.
If you get a chance to go down to the Porongprups for the Spin In on Thursday the 17th, do think about going onto the Stirling Ranges Retreat for the Craft weekend Fri 18 to Sunday 20th, they have lots of fun activities planned, including natural dyeing.
Best woolly wishes from Old Ewe.

It is time to start new projects or make new resolutions to complete old ones. :] There are some new merino top colours and new product lines from Ashford to compliment our extensive range of products in store. You are very welcome to just come in and browse. 2016 will see some new faces in store …more on this later.
After the festive season, we normally open the second week of January but this year we are still busy washing fleece for the old ram to pick ready for the school orders. To compliment our ebay listings, we are updating our website :[ with shopping cart, so that your online visits to our website will be more enjoyable. [Unfortunately I am a little slow whilst my injured right arm/shoulder heals] We have raw fleece to organise into new product as well as some reshuffling of shop fittings. The shop will reopen after Australia day on Wednesday, 27th January 2016 at 10.30am, however, if you need anything urgently, we will be in store all day on Saturday 9th January ..feel free to drop in. Warning, anyone found loitering on 9th January, will be given a volunteer task/job to do :]

At Bilby, we are busy preparing for the Melanian Sheep Breeders ‘BLACK SHEEP SHOP’ in the Jim Horwood Wool Pavillion [near gate 8] at this year’s Perth Royal Show. [26 Sept to 3 October ]. We hope you will visit the sheep pavillion to see the fleece, sheep or watch the shearing and also see the Creative Craft at Milton Isbitser Pavillion. During Show week, the shop will be open with either old ewe or ol’ram to look after your woolly needs.

Friday 11th to Sunday 13th Sept, the Handweavers Spinners & Dyer’s Guild have organised an exhibition of the National Scarf Exchange at the Peppermint Grove Library. [details at http://spinweavewa.org/ ] Fibres West 2015 is at Muresk Sun 4th to 8th October…..Bilby Yarns will be in Traders Hall with a stall full of woolly goods. If you are participating & need a fibre/tool order brought to Muresk for you, please ring 93318818. On Tue 6, wed 7th & thu 8th, the ol’ram will be in the Willagee shop to look after customers.

WORKSHOPS… CROCHET and KNITTING . If you would like to learn how to crochet? Our friendly tutors Bev & Julitha, can help you get started on your crochet/knitting journey. Have a look at our Workshop page and then book your place asap with a $20 deposit. Phone 9331 8818 or email.